Hazrath Ali RZ—The Pious Caliph

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

Faith, belief, sacrifice, courage, knowledge, wisdom, compassion, piety, righteousness, these are just a few of the numerous attributes of the fourth pious caliph Hazrath Syedna Ali bin Abi Talib Karam Allahu Wajhu. He has the distinction and privilege to be the first child to embrace Islam. He was born in the prestigious Quresh family of Banu Hashim. His parents were not very well off, so our beloved Prophet SAS asked his uncle Hazrath Abi Talib if he could take care of the infant child Hazrath Ali RZ to lessen the economic burden on his uncle. Thus, Hazrath Ali RZ came under the tutelage of our beloved Prophet SAS. When our beloved Prophet SAS proclaimed Prophethood, there were three pioneers. Hazrath Ummul Momineen Bibi Khadija RZ, the first person and the first woman to embrace the message of the Prophet SAS and embrace Islam. Then the dear friend of our beloved Prophet, Hazrath Abu Bakr Siddiq RZ, who succeeded the Prophet SAS as his first caliph, became the first adult male to embrace Islam. Hazrath Ali RZ was then about 10 years old and embraced the message of our beloved Prophet SAS and accepted Islam. He stayed in the company of Prophet SAS throughout his childhood and youth until our beloved Prophet SAS passed away. When the Muslims and our beloved Prophet SAS faced persecution and hardships in the early days of the proclamation of Prophethood, he stayed steadfast with Prophet SAS.

His belief and courage were demonstrated when our beloved Prophet SAS made the Hijra from Mecca to Madina. It was a well planned and strategic journey with all the arrangements made to make it a success. The opponents of Islam had planned to capture and martyr our beloved Prophet SAS. When Prophet SAS left his abode at night, he asked Hazrath Ali RZ to sleep in his bed, to give his enemies an impression that Prophet SAS had not left his abode and was still fast asleep. It was part of the strategy of the journey that by the time the opponents found it out, he would be far away from Mecca and far away from their reach. It was the unflinching belief and courage of Hazrath Ali RZ that he slept in the bed of Prophet SAS, well knowing the danger facing such an act. He could have very well been martyred on that fateful night when the enemies forced their entry and to their dismay found Hazrath Ali RZ sleeping instead of our beloved Prophet SAS, who had already left the place on his journey to Madina. This Hijrah from Mecca to Madina is one of the most significant events and a turning point in the history of Islam. This is the reason that when the time came and the need arose to have an Islamic calendar, Hazrath Omar bin Al Khattab RZ, the second pious caliph, chose this singular event to start the reckoning of the Islamic calendar.

The courage, bravery and physical strength of Hazrath Ali RZ is legendary. He accompanied our Prophet SAS and participated in every battle with the opponents of Islam except the battle of Tabuk, on the instructions of Prophet SAS. When challenged for a duel before the beginning of the battle of the trench (Ghazwa e Khandaq), as was the custom in Arabia, by Amr ibn Abd Wudd, one of the mightiest of the Meccan warriors, Hazrath Ali RZ volunteered to fight with him. As he was still very young, our beloved Prophet SAS reluctantly allowed him to go forward and fight the duel.

Our beloved Prophet SAS draped him in his own turban and gave him the famous Zulfiqar sword. This duel portrays bravery, courage as well as his righteousness. When he overwhelmed his opponent to the ground and was about to slay him, the mighty opponent spat on him. Hazrath Ali RZ immediately withdrew from the fight and walked away. The reason for this withdrawal was that if he slays the enemy at that moment, that could be his personal revenge, but he was fighting for the sake of Allah and did not want to dilute it with his personal revenge. After withdrawing from the fight and walking away, he turned around and engaged the opponent again, purely for the sake of Allah, with no semblance of personal vendetta, and was able to overcome the enemy again and slayed him. This one victory helped change the course of the battle. The fighters in the enemy army slowly began withdrawing in ones and twos and then in larger numbers. The leader of the Meccan campaign, Abu Sufyan, was forced to retreat and went back to Mecca.

The campaign against Khybar also illustrates the importance, courage and military genius of Hazrath Ali RZ. During this campaign, one day our beloved Prophet SAS said that he would assign the standard of the army to a person who loves Allah and whom Allah loves. Everybody was anxious as to who the fortunate person would be. The next day our beloved Prophet SAS asked where Hazrath Ali RZ was. He was told that Hazrath Ali RZ was suffering from an eye infection. Our beloved Prophet SAS called Hazrath Ali RZ and put his holy saliva in the eyes of Hazrath Ali RZ, and he was instantly cured. This particular incident also shows us the importance of paskhoorda that our elders and Murshideen also used to give for physical cure and spiritual enlightenment. We have several instances that we read in our books of Imamuna AS giving paskhoorda. Our Holy Prophet SAS gave his standard and command of the Muslim army to Hazrath Ali RZ. In this campaign he was successful, the opponents were subdued and a peace agreement favoring the Muslims was concluded. This victory also led to a few other tribes in the area making peace deals with the Muslim side.

Our beloved Prophet SAS gave his beloved youngest daughter, Khatoon e Jannat Bibi Fatima tuz Zehra RZ, in marriage to Hazrath Ali RZ. Their sons Hazrath Imam Hasan RZ and Imam Hussain RZ were very dear to our beloved Prophet SAS. Our beloved Prophet SAS foretold that Imam Mehdi AS would be born in the progeny of Hazrath Imam Hussain RZ. Our beloved Imam, Hazrath Syed Muhammed Jaunpuri Mehdi Maood Alaihis Salam, is the direct descendant of Hazrath Imam Hussain RZ.

Hazrath Ali RZ was also divinely gifted with wisdom and knowledge. The famous Hadees says it all. Our beloved Prophet SAS said:Ana madinatul ilmi wa Ali babuhaI am the city of knowledge and Ali is the gateway to it, and whoever wants to gain knowledge has to enter through it.

This knowledge implies both worldly knowledge and spiritual or gnostic knowledge.

A collection of his sayings and sermons has been compiled in a book called Nahj al Balagha.

The Sufi Silsila, the Sufi lineages of Chishtiya, Qadariya, Suharwardiya and Shadhiliya, go through Hazrath Ali RZ to our beloved Prophet for spiritual and gnostic knowledge and learning.

Hazrath Ali RZ served as advisor and confidante of the three pious caliphs who preceded him. His knowledge, wisdom and advice were acknowledged by the second pious caliph, Hazrath Umar Farooq RZ, who said: Lawla Ali lahalaka UmarIf it was not for Ali, Umar had perished. This was because Hazrath Ali RZ was instrumental in some crucial decision making during the caliphate of Hazrath Umar Farooq RZ. He reluctantly succeeded Hazrath Usman e Ghani RZ, the third pious caliph, who had been martyred by the rebels, and inherited a very chaotic regime. He was busy settling lots of disputes and internal conflicts and had to wage wars to settle the disorder in the caliphate, including the battles with Ummul Momineen Hazrath Bibi Aisha RZ and Hazrath Ameer Muawiya RZ. Bibi Aisha RZ acknowledged that she happened to be on the wrong side against Hazrath Ali RZ and was repentant for the rest of her life.

He became the fourth pious caliph in the year 35 Hijri and moved the capital from Madina to Kufa in present day Iraq. He was martyred in the year 40 Hijri at the age of about 62 years. His last advice to his sons Hazrath Imam Hasan RZ and Hazrath Imam Hussain RZ is an epitome of his piety, righteousness, compassion and justice. He told his sons that if he survived the wound, he would decide whether to forgive or punish his attacker, Ibn Muljim. But if he did not survive, it was for them to forgive or punish. If he was punished, it should be with one clean stroke, as he had also received only one stroke and wound, and no torture to the killer and no dismemberment of the body, emphasizing that the punishment should not exceed the limits of justice.

Hazrath Ali RZ – A Prominent Member of Ahlul Baith

Hazrath Ali has a very special status in Islam. Since he is from the Banu Hashim tribe and cousin of Prophet SAS, he is part of the Ahlul Baith of Prophet Muhammed SAS.

When Prophet Muhammed SAS asked him not to join the Battle of Tabuk, he was saddened. Prophet SAS said: Are you not satisfied with the fact that you enjoy the same relationship with me as Prophet Haroon AHS had with Prophet Musa AHS, but there is no prophet after me.

Secondly, when Allah SWT revealed the Ayat e Tatheer, the Prophet SAS took four people in his cloak and declared that these are his Ahlul Baith. These include Hazrath Ali RZ, Bibi Fatima RZ, Imam Hasan RZ and Imam Hussain RZ. Thus, all these personalities are purified by Allah SWT.

Similarly, the Prophet SAS took the same people for Mubahela to face the Christians of Najran.

Finally, while returning from the Hajj, the Prophet SAS stopped at a place called Khum and narrated to have said:“For whomever I am his Mawla, then Ali is his Mawla” (Man Kuntu Mawla, Fa Aliyyun Mawla) (Tirmidhi #3713)

Yet in another Hadith, Zirr reported: Ali observed: By Him Who split up the seed and created something living, the Apostle (may peace and blessings be upon him) gave me a promise that no one but a believer would love me, and none but a hypocrite would nurse grudge against me.(Sahih Muslim, 78)

His life is a beacon of light for the whole Ummah, and may Allah help us and guide us to follow his noble footsteps. Aameen.